BraveHeart
by DawningAurora
Summary: Tenten is a child of two worlds. Literally. ShikaTen AU.


Squint for Shika Ten although it is Tenten centric. Mostly. You could say I'm writing this one is because I'm dissatisfied with the last one. This is also to celebrate episode 231 of shippuden which features both Tenten and Shikamaru. Yahtzee! My prayers have been answered. Don't flame me for casting the raikage as the bad guy. For all you know it might not even be A. This also going to be severely OOC so much that it's AU.

A li'l present for everyone who's read and reviewed my works.

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One. Shana, a controversy courting Kumogakure missing nin, battled Madara Uchiha. The battle resulted in Shana's transportation to an alternate universe. She was transported to a world which was saturated with magic and guided by the gentle hand of a benevolent goddess- Artemis. She fell in love with an acolyte of the goddess who went by name Midhir. The result of that union was born a baby girl. The goddess blessed the girl and wove the magic of the blade within her soul. Shana named her Tenten; for being a child of two worlds and also the final piece of the heaven Shana had been granted. As Shana lay dying, her body too frail from living in a world she did not belong to, she requested that her daughter be sent to her brother who lived in Kumo. The goddess granted her wish and sent Tenten to her uncle.

Two. In Kumogakure, Shyam finds himself awakened by a gentle yet insistent call that he both simultaneously heard but didn't. He decides to go walking. As he passes his dining table, he notices a bassinet that rested atop it. As he moved to it, he saw that a baby cradled inside. As he lifted her up, her name sizzled through his mind-_Tenten- _and that is what he calls her. He finds he cannot shake the feeling or rather the innate knowledge that the baby is Shana's.

Three. His suspicions proved correct when Tenten –aged three-proved to have a proficiency with blades. The steel laced resolve that was an indomitable part of Shana's soul was passed on to her daughter. The confidence that was innately Shana's also showed in Tenten whenever someone challenged Tenten's skill. She deftly rendered them speechless with a quick flick of her wrist that resulted in the weapon at hand hitting bulls eye.

Four. She had to flee Kumo as the Raikage had heard of Tenten's prowess and wanted to recruit her for the Kumo Root. Shyam could not let his beloved niece fall victim to the Raikage's villainy and so he dispatched her to Konoha where she was to stay until he could come and take her elsewhere. Days turned to weeks and weeks to months. Tenten's uncle did not return and so she was placed under the care of the Hokage- Hizuren Sarutobi. Hizuren owed a life debt to Shana, a debt he felt obligated to repay by taking Tenten under his wing.

Five. Tenten remained for most part, oblivious. She did not know that her mother was a great kunoichi of Kumo. She did not know that her uncle had laid down his life to save her. She felt, for most part that she was a normal Konoha kunoichi. What the others didn't know was that whenever she felt upset, she heard a voice in the wind asking her _to be strong, to be brave_ _and to hold on because_...that part was weird because the voice on the wind told her that it loved her. But Tenten was a rational kunoichi. She did not believe that voices in the wind could love her.

Six. Tenten stood in the crowd listening to her Sensei giving them the introductory speech. She is unable to focus. She's busy biting back the lump in her throat that burned everytime she saw big hands enclosing her classmates' smaller ones while her own lay limply and cold at her side. The breeze that blew through the clearing at that moment was strong enough to blow the forehead protector off her Sensei's head but seemed to envelop her in a loving embrace. She heard a whisper again….You're_ not alone Tenten. You never will be._ She derives her resolve from that voice and marches proudly to her future.

Seven. Tenten is the most popular academy student in her class. The girls dub her "The Big Sister" and come to her for advice or sometimes just an ear that listens. Tenten enjoys her position as the class confidante. What she doesn't expect was for the junior class children flock to her like birds to the sky. She finds out that she has an affinity to all bladed objects. That combined with her perfectionist tendencies often caused her to practically live in the target range. That in turn led to meetings with the pineapple headed Nara and his friends.

Eight. Tenten graduated and she hoped to be placed in a squad with one of the most formidable Jounin of Konoha. Gai sensei's temperament dashed Tenten's entire perception of the "elite" Jounin of Konoha. The word 'sophistication' could not be used within a 10 kilometer radius of the man. But her perceptions were proved wrong as her Sensei proved himself to be the most honourable of men and an example to lead life by (minus the flashy green tights and nice guy pose, of course). At that point in her life, Tenten felt a sense of peace and contention that she would later come to treasure for the rest of her life.

Nine. Unbeknownst to Tenten, Caitlin- Midhir's supposedly jilted lover had been searching for ways to seek out Shana's offspring. Her search had led her to find out about The Great Divide. The barrier that shields one world from the other. Shortly before Tenten's attempt at the Jounin exams, Caitlin discovered a way to cross the divide unharmed. She waited until the rise of the Blue Moon to exploit the powers granted to her by her heritage. Caitlin was a born of a priestess and a force that was governed purely by darkness. It had no name, no form. It fed off the sorrow and the pain of others. Caitlin's mother, who had just lost her mate to a construction mishap, was never the same again. The power of the Blue Moon saturated Caitlin's blood and brought forth her father's heritage to its fullest bloom. In its wake, she saw the threads of fate. The threads of power that held the world together. Gathering the might of her power she slashed through reality, ripping it asunder for a moment. It was big enough for Caitlin to slip through and she did. The threads bound themselves together again- pristine and untouched.

Ten. That night Tenten was plagued with her first nightmare. Tenten awoke, her hands automatically seeking respite for her parched throat and pounding heart. She drank deeply from the pitcher beside her bed and tried to hum herself to sleep. It did not seem to be working and so the Weapons Mistress left the comfort of her bed to seek the only other safe haven she had in Konoha- The waterfall within the Nara forest.

Eleven. Shikamaru was startled by the rustle of leaves near the spot he was reclining against. He prayed to all the Kami for the stranger to not be his mother. The lightest whisper of the grass alerted him to the proximity of the intruder. Tenten parted the last few of the massive ferns to find Shikamaru reclining against a rock and looking rather incredulously at her. He inquired what business the 'notoriously-rule abiding kunoichi' had in the Nara forests at this hour. She merely looked at him and murmured that she was lost and didn't know where she was. Shikamaru laughed and asked her if she was 'often lost in this particular region.' Tenten's answering smile was brilliant enough to send butterflies fluttering through the Chunin's stomach. For once Shikamaru didn't think it was going to be troublesome.

Twelve. Caitlin had landed in the middle of a forest. Days of aimless ambling had led her to the village which called itself 'Kumogakure'. Caitlin was apprehended by men in masks and she was produced before a man who everyone addressed as 'Raikage'. Her interrogation had revealed their shared goals. The upcoming Chunnin exams being held in Kumo presented them with an excellent opportunity. He called all his genin together and commanded them to injure the girl in the Chinese style buns. _Injure,_ he intoned dangerously, _not kill_. With a curt dismissal, he turned to Caitlin and watched her smile in a feral expression of glee. 'She certainly was impatient' he mused as they ambled to the Raikage's manor.

Thirteen. The upcoming exams in Kumo were worrying Tenten to no end. Kumo was showing disturbing levels of activity. Tsunade was worried about sending her chunin to a soon-to-be hostile area. She could not increase the security for fear of alerting the Raikage and eliciting a premature strike. She did, however, instruct the Jounin to remain constantly and discreetly vigilant. She specifically asked Gai to ensure Tenten's protection. The final request of the Third had been to ensure the kunoichi's safety. A request Tsunade felt she needed to carry out.

Fourteen. The Jounin exams had gone without a hitch through the first two rounds. The third had been somewhat challenging but she had managed to beat her opponent in the end. The final round had been scheduled to take place atop two pillars (which were large enough for her to stand on one foot) placed in the middle of a turbulent ocean. Her opponent was a member of one of Kumo's clans. His cocky smile and condescending tone only managed to incite her wrath. She proceeded to use her skills to wipe the floor with him (and his annoying smirk). She had only managed to do so with only a gash on her arm. The medics rushed in and ushered her on a stretcher and whisked her away before Sakura could even rise from her seat. Sakura glanced at Tsunade who nodded imperceptibly at her student. Sakura announced that she was taking a break and nonchalantly sauntered after the medics and was intercepted by an annoying chunin waylaying her with incessant chatter. By the time she was rid of him, Tenten had vanished.

Fifteen. Tenten felt faint pricklings of unease at the black haired medic's plastered smile and the syringe filled with clear fluid she was brandishing. It intensified when she saw a gurney with restraints being wheeled in. Before she could cry out the medic injected her and she sank into unconsciousness. Sakura hurried to Raido and informed him that they had taken Tenten. He nodded to Gai who took his place. Gai immediately set off to track her.

Sixteen. Tenten felt like she was drowning. There were voices. But those fuzzy voices did not seem to hold much meaning to her. She felt the weight of her sub conscious pressing down on her. It was too suffocating. "_Tenten" _a voiced whispered through her mind. "_Arise, daughter_" it commanded gently_. I can't _she whispered. _You must_, the voice insisted. _Tired,_ she whispered back. Suddenly, a warmth began to flow through her limbs and her head began to clear.

Seventeen. Shikamaru_ knew_ that something was wrong when Tenten was wheeled away in a stretcher for a mere gash. It intensified when Sakura announced that she was taking a break instead of just informing the other medic nin. He quietly followed the charka tag he placed on the ribbons he had gifted Tenten with on her seventeenth birthday. (For the simple pleasure of knowing how often she wore them. He felt intensely happy to know she wore them everyday.) It wavered slightly, he quickened his pace. There were Kumo nin standing guard before the room where she was being kept. Opting to simply bind them with his Kage Mane, he removed his socks. Wrapping them in his shadows, he moved them swiftly towards the guards. He then nonchalantly sauntered towards them. They saw him and as they opened their mouths, he stuffed his socks into their mouths while simultaneously doing a full body bind. Muffled curses met his approach. He did not bother to acknowledge them.

Eighteen. The doors, burst open. Tenten slipped through with a lethal grace and cold amber eyes as she floated past him unheedingly. He followed her, the profusion of sparking amber charka lining the walls as completely as the blood of the Kumo nin now lined the hospital room.

Nineteen. The battle between the Raikage, Caitlinn and Tenten was dynamic with the priestess throwing spirit beasts and the Raikage running around with lightning based attacks. Tenten quickly allowed the shamanistic side take over, allowing her access to the combat loving part of her soul. The fight ended quickly, with Tenten banishing Caitlinn to the nether world and Ino Sealing* the Raikage into his own subconscious.

Twenty. The council of elders in Kumo declares Tenten their new Raikage. The only way for breaking the inheritance pattern of leadership was by directly challenging the Raikage. No one had dared to do so for the past two hundred years. So with Tenten's defeat of the former Kage and the fact that he had no heirs caused the elders to draw up an official Peace Pact with Konoha in exchange for Tenten. Shikamaru is the head of the newly appointed _ External Affairs _department.

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Fin.

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